The Return
by JoBelle
Summary: Doyle brings Connor back, this is how.
1. The Return

Author: JoBelle/Jodie  
  
Email: me@jodie.tv  
  
Disclaimer: I own everything and Lindsay is my love slave chained to my bed 24/7 solely dedicated to my every whim and pleasure. Okay coming out of the delusion now :) I own nothing, Joss is God of this universe and all rights belong to him and his cohorts! Nobody sue I'm just playing around here!  
  
Feedback: Please!!!!!! I promise to love you forever if you review!!! I don't even know if I'm going to continue this so you have to let me know if you want me to!  
  
Rating: PG for the most  
  
Chapter One  
  
The Return.  
  
Only the dead can enter the lands of the unliving and bring back the child, the prophesied one.  
  
Cordelia and Fred bolted out of their rooms at the loud shouts coming from the lobby. The heavy rain that had prevented Cordelia from going home continued to pound against the old brick walls as the two girls hurried along the corridor, at the head of the stairs Cordelia froze, mouth dropping open in shock, fingers clenching around the banister rail until the knuckles turned white. There in the middle of the lobby the usually tormented vampire with a soul practically beamed with joy and all but danced a jig as he cradled his miracle child to his chest. A child they'd grieved for, thought lost to them forever in some random hell dimension and beside them a man with blue green eyes that Cordelia hadn't seen in almost three years. Her knees grew weak as Angel turned from counting Connor's ten toes and fingers to embrace the half bracken demon. "It's good to see you again Doyle." he said and Cordelia found herself seated on the top step, shaky knees no longer able to support her.  
  
Beside her Fred gasped and reached out to help but Cordy waved her off and after a few seconds indecision the ex Pylean was down the stairs joining in Angel's happy reunion. As Fred embraced the black clad vampire, Doyle's eyes trailed up the stairs and for a few moments aquamarine locked with hazel, both moving towards each other without realizing it. They met on the landing halfway down the staircase, Cordelia's gaze was full of wonder, palm coming up to caress his face. Whack!  
  
"Hey!" Doyle exclaimed stepping back and putting a hand to his reddening cheek.  
  
"If you didn't want to take me to dinner you didn't have to go and get yourself killed!" She informed him hotly, before flinging herself into his arms. Doyle couldn't help but laugh, clutching her closer, tangling his fingers in her chestnut tresses.  
  
"God I've missed you Doyle." She whispered, warm breath tickling his ear. A pang of sadness shot through him at her words and he clutched her closer. "Princess." He murmured, palms running up and down her back over the soft folds of the oversized sweater she wore. "Delia..." he choked out, pulling back and gazing deeply into her eyes. Neither was sure afterwards who made the first move, all they knew was they found themselves in the most intense kiss either had ever experienced, full of all the longing and sorrow and joy and thousand other things racing through them, wrapped up in one single physical expression. Her arms curled around his neck and his fingers buried themselves deeper into her sleep mussed hair holding each other as if the world depended on it.  
  
They broke apart to Connor's wails, hurrying down the stairs to Angel's side, watching as the vamp changed his son's diaper on Wesley's desk, and blew raspberries on the boy's tummy. Doyle's eyes all but popped out of his head at the sight and Cordelia collapsed into peals of laughter at his expression. Fred watched the proceedings with a smile that threatened to split her face as she emerged from their industrial sized kitchen. God she'd missed this. Angel and Cordelia happy, Connor here and reaching eagerly for the bottle she handed to his daddy. As Connor began to suck enthusiastically on the bottle Angel turned to Doyle and opened his mouth to speak then closed it again, stopped, tried again, but all that would come out was "How?"  
  
Doyle sighed heavily. "It's a long story man." the ex seer said tiredly.  
  
Cordelia snorted and rolled her eyes in a 'duh' motion, while Fred just stared at the newcomer.  
  
They all took seats on the lobby furniture, Fred curling up into a corner of the sofa wrapping her arms around her knees, sweatpants riding up to expose her pale calves. Cordelia tucked her socked feet under her leaning against the chair handle so she could sit diagonally and stare at Doyle, Angel claimed the other side of the sofa for himself with Connor still gurgling. The vampire looked down at his son and was amazed at how much he had grown in the two months since he had seen him last, there was a soft dark down covering the top of his head now, curling lightly just past his ears and Connor's eyes had changed from the newborn blue that all babies had and were now the same cobalt blue that Darla's had been, blinking out at him from beneath his father's brow.  
  
Angel traced the baby's cheek and Connor giggled happily, grabbing his daddy's finger in one small chubby fist. Cordelia's breath caught in her throat at the small gesture, tears filling her eyes and the icy hand that had clutched her heart since she'd received Fred's tearful phonecall in Antigua finally melted. Connor was home. She and Angel caught eyes over the baby's head and exchanged relieved smiles. Doyle watched all this carefully and wondered how the events of the last two and a half years had changed his friends' relationship.  
  
Angel and Cordelia's gazes finally drifted back to his own, the vampire's dark eyes giving him the answer to the question he hadn't voiced.  
  
Cordelia broke the silent conversation he was having with the vampire, impatient as ever. "So are you ever going to tell us the long story or what?" She asked hitting him on the arm, leaving her hand there when she was done. 


	2. The Story

Disclaimer and other things can be found in the first chapter. Begging for feedback, can be found everywhere so please oh please oh please R&R!!!!!  
  
"Greetings Warrior." A disembodied voice called, the sound reverberating around the glowing white walls of the mist filled room.  
  
"What's going on?" Doyle demanded, gazing wildly around the room he'd been unceremoniously dropped into.  
  
"We have a proposition for you Allan Francis, a grave situation has been put into play and we have been offered an arrangement that we deem is acceptable but in order for us to act you must say yes to what we propose." A large gold demon said, walking out of swirling mist.  
  
"Well what exactly are you proposin'?" the half-bracken queried, his brows furrowing as he stared at the many horned demon standing before him. "And who are you for that matter."  
  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry about that." The demon apologized. "Skip's the name." He extended a hand to Doyle. The half bracken gingerly gave it a shake.  
  
"Right, now down to business. The ensouled vampire and his sire have created a child Allan Francis Doyle. This child has been stolen out of his dimension and taken to the Quor-toth an unimaginable hell dimension. The child - Connor, is needed for the end of days Allan Francis, he plays a great role. We ask that you traverse to the Quor-toth and bring him back, in return we will grant you full humanity, you will be sent back to earth to live out the rest of your days that would have been granted to you had you not so nobly sacrificed yourself." Skip explained, quite quickly.  
  
"Why," Doyle sputtered unable to get his mind around the idea of Angel, of any vampire for that matter having a child. He tried again. "Why me? Why can't Angel get back his son? How long has he been missing?"  
  
"The child has been gone for forty-six days and nights. We offer you this Allan Francis because in order to enter Quor-toth with a living body the very fabric of reality itself must be ripped, this has happened twice and already the consequences can be seen. Great earthquakes are being felt all over the globe, a new spate of lunacy is prevalent, the hate and fear that seeped in from the Quor-toth is spreading into the human population, war is possible even probable. Should another tear happen again Allan Francis we fear it will not be repairable and thus dimensions will bleed into each other causing chaos and destruction"  
  
"Okay, okay big evil I get it! But why me? And why now? Connor's been there for over a month and a half!"  
  
"You are noble Allan Doyle we know this, we have seen your sacrifices and as of yet you are spirit not flesh."  
  
"Yeah but Connor is and if I agree to do this so will I and I think we'll need a tear to get back!"  
  
A three-foot white marble stand appeared in front of him, on it rested a glowing orb.  
  
"This will get you back once you have located the child," Skip explained handing him the orb. "As for why now, this solution only just now presented itself. One of Angel's employees offered us a deal which we accepted."  
  
Doyle blanched. "Cordelia?" He queried, worriedly.  
  
"Oh no, pretty girl though, met her a few months ago. No, it wasn't Cordy." Skip reassured.  
  
"So who was it then? What'd they offer?"  
  
"Sorry man, can't give ya the details, time's running short. You in or out?"  
  
"I have to decide now!" Doyle exclaimed in shock.  
  
"Uh huh. Kind of a now or never deal." Skip replied looking apologetic.  
  
Staying in Heaven and, knowing that he'd let Angel's son rot in a hell dimension.  
  
Doyle nodded. "I'm in." Immediately the orb in his hands set off a brilliant flash of purple light. "I guess." He added, staring around at the desolate landscape he now found himself a part of.  
  
  
  
"Skip sure seems to get around." Cordy interjected, a small note of bitterness colouring her tone. The seer and the ensouled vampire exchanged looks.  
  
"So obviously you said yes, what happened after that?" Fred asked.  
  
"Well that was that, I fought a few nasty looking dragon things," "Or rather ran away from them." Cordelia put in with a smirk that Doyle couldn't help but smile at. "Or ran away from a few nasty looking dragon things." He amended good naturedly. "Found the baby and got the hell out of dodge."  
  
The four of them stared at Connor in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.  
  
"Wesley!" Fred suddenly exclaimed, eyes alight. "What about him?" Cordelia snapped. "Well you didn't contact the powers, and I didn't contact the powers and neither did Angel, Gunn or Lorne so it must've been Wesley! And now Connor's back and Angel can forgive Wesley and." Fred's excited rambling trailed off as she noticed the dark look Angel was giving and Cordelia's forbidding scowl.  
  
(End 2/?) 


	3. The Complication

Angel excused himself to go get Connor a fresh jumper thereby removing himself from the conversation, as he had done every time Wesley's name was mentioned in recent history. Doyle just stared at the two girls in confusion, Cordelia fuming silently and Fred sulking quietly.  
  
"Somebody want to tell me who Wesley is?" He finally asked, breaking the strained silence. Cordelia snorted. "Well you know, if somebody hadn't been stupid enough to play hero and gotten himself killed and not been dead for the last two years he'd know." Fred blinked owlishly at Doyle before turning to Cordelia. "Is there anyone y'all know who hasn't been dead at least once?" she asked. Cordy sighed heavily and handed the phone to Fred. "Call Gunn and let him know about Connor would you? I'll explain to Doyle about.everything."  
  
"Starting with who's Wesley." Doyle insisted as he allowed Cordelia to drag him off towards the old check in counter. "Right after you tell me the real story of what happened in Quor-toth. Oh and how about how you got this!" She scolded, poking him in the side and watching him wince before pulling up the tail of his shirt to expose the badly bandaged gash on his stomach he'd been favouring all night.  
  
"How'd you know?" Doyle groused, while Cordelia set about collecting gauze and antiseptic from behind the counter.  
  
"You pulled back a little when I hugged you earlier and you've had your arm crossed over it for the last half hour." She explained nonchalantly as she took a two by four soaked in alcohol to the wound. He hissed, stomach muscles contracting at the sting of the alcohol penetrating his wound. "Woulda left it to fester, gotten gangrene and died on me again." She grumbled, swiping away the dried blood.  
  
"I'm sorry?" Doyle offered tentatively.  
  
"Yeah, I bet you are." Cordy complained as she began to wind the gauze around his abdomen after taping a two by four over the largest part of the gash. "Cordelia." His tone was serious now as his fingers tilted her gaze up to meet his. "It was something I had to do." "I know." She replied quietly, a hint of tears in her voice. "I just. missed you." She whispered, biting her lower lip, still holding back the tears after two long years. "Delia." he murmured, cupping her chin with his palm and running his thumb softly along her cheekbone. She raised hurt hazel orbs to meet his aqua ones.  
  
Their moment was broken by the ringing of the phone almost glad for the interruption Cordy quickly shied out of his grasp and headed over to the desk. "Guess tonight was destined to be an up all night kind regardless." She said flashing him a bright Queen C smile as she picked up the receiver. He could practically see her walls slamming back up, as she turned stiffened shoulders away from him.  
  
"Angel investigations, we help the helpless." Cordy greeted cheerily, eyeing Fred who was babbling to Gunn on her cell-phone a few feet away. If ever there were a competitor for Willow in the babbling championships.  
  
"Is there a Mr. Geraldo Angel there?" The too calm voice on the other end of the line asked politely. Cordy felt her heart speed up, doctor. She could practically smell the disinfectant and rubbing alcohol over the phone line. "He's unavailable at the moment, can I help you?" The voice sighed. "Perhaps.do you know where I could reach a Cordelia Chase?" "This is Cordelia Chase." She replied, turning away from Doyle's scrutinizing gaze.  
  
Cordy could almost hear the smile of relief. "Ms. Chase, a Wesley Wyndham Price was brought into St. Luke's about half an hour ago. You were listed under next of kin along with Mr. Angel."  
  
"Wesley." She murmured, catching Fred and Doyle's attention. "What happened to him?" She demanded, worry flooding through her veins. Traitor or not he was still Wesley. Dopey, dorky, bookish Wesley and pissed at him as she was she didn't actively want him DEAD...  
  
"Earlier this evening the police were called to the address of an abandoned post office on the tip that someone was breaking in. They investigated and found Mr. Wyndham Price in the basement of the place, looked like he'd been thrown against the wall by something excuse me, someone large among other things. His paperwork finally transferred here from Drew Medical about ten minutes ago. According to his files, both his parents live in England and we may need consent to operate if things aren't looking up in a few hours. Could you or Mr. Angel come down to the hospital as soon as possible?"  
  
Cordy sighed tiredly and nodded. "We'll be there in half an hour." She replied then replaced the phone in its cradle. Dropping her head to her chest, she took several deep breaths trying to steady herself for what was to come.  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Okay guys I really don't know what should happen next so suggestions would be nice and also if you could tell me what you DON'T like about it, that'd be helpful too. Is everybody in character? Is anybody still reading this? Let me know please! 


	4. Wesley

Author's Notes:  
Hey all, sorry it's taken so long, I got a litlte writers block. Anyways, hope you like and I'd like to say thank you to all my reviewers, you guys are what keep me writing so review me some more if u like this :)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"So, looks like I've missed a few changes while I was gone." Doyle said, leaning against the doorway to Angel's room. Angel sighed out a breath he didn't need, closing his eyes briefly before raising his gaze to meet Doyle's. The vampire's dark stare was even broodier than Doyle remembered and more pain filled than ever.   
  
"He took my son Doyle. I wish he would die. I wish he would die and suffer a million years of torment in a worse dimension of hell than I was in. I wish I could send him there myself." Angel stated, in such a calm, matter of fact tone that it sent a frisson of fear up Doyle's spine.   
  
"What happened man?" The ex-seer asked, stepping into the room. " How did Connor get to be in Quor-toth? Why did this Wesley fella take him to Holtz? When Skip told me you had a son, I thought he was a complication of that day you were human, then he told me Connor was your sire's. But Darla's dead man, you told me you staked her yourself." Doyle paused in his uncharacteristic ramblings to watch as Connor shifted in his daddy's arms and let out a small burp, drawing a rare full fledged smile from the dark vampire. Angel shifted his son a little before taking an unneeded breath.  
  
"It's a long story Doyle." He murmured. "A very long story."   
  
  
  
  
"Hi, we're looking for a patient who was admitted recently," Fred drawled, nervously twining a lock of hair around her index finger.  
  
The nurse at the check in desk glanced up lazily. "Name?" She asked in a monotone.  
  
"Wesley Wyndham Pryce." Gunn answered, stepping up next to her.  
  
  
Cordelia stood a few feet away, arms wrapped around her middle chewing her lower lip anxiously. God she was cold, the dash from the truck to the hospital doors had all but soaked her and the near freezing air conditioning of the hospital wasn't helping any.   
  
  
"You'd think they wouldn't want to give their patients hypothermia on top of everything else." She grumbled to herself, pacing anxiously back and forth across the gross linoleum while Gunn and Fred got the information they needed.  
  
  
  
"He's in 452." Gunn's hand on her shoulder halting her pacing. Cordelia jumped at the contact and seemed about to launch into a tirade before she got ahold of herself and flashed him a weak smile.  
  
  
"Three doors down from his last room." Fred murmured as they all got into the elevator.  
  
  
Gunn slipped an arm around her waist and drew her against him. "It'll be okay baby." He murmured into her ear.  
  
  
Cordy almost choked on the surge of jealousy that shot up when she looked at them, how come she was always the one in charge. No one ever took care of her and called her baby.  
  
  
  
  
The elevator doors dinged open and they were almost immediately met by a man in blue scrubs.   
  
"Dr. Peter Benton?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Mr. Angel." He replied tersely.  
  
"Uh, no. Angel...he couldn't be here. I'm Cordelia Chase." Cordy stepped forward and shook hands with him.  
  
"Do you want to sit down?" The doctor asked, gesturing at a row of plastic chairs that Fred was really beginning to hate. Cordy nodded and sank gratefully into one while Gunn and Fred stood a few feet away as the doctor began to explain Wesley's condition.  
  
"Do you happen to know if he's a drug user?"  
  
"What?!" Cordy's voice was outraged. "No, of course not. Why?"  
  
"There was a substantial amount of quacylinochloride in his blood stream. It's a drug commonly found in PCP, and can cause mania, paranoia and depression without the backup of the other drugs found in PCP." Peter explained while Fred's eyes began to widen. Leaning up she whispered hastily into Charles' ear.  
  
Cordy eyed the two while listening to what Dr. Benton was saying, feeling her heart sink. Wesley was in pretty bad shape, if he lived through the morning then there was hope but the next six hours were critical there was some internal bleeding and his spleen needed to be removed before it burst.   
  
She signed form after form blankly, barely glancing at the type, Gunn sitting solemnly next to her, Fred having disappeared a little while after Dr. Benton had left them. She handed the nurse the last one and slumped into her chair, leaning her head against the wall behind her.  
  
  
"Where's Fred?" She finally asked Gunn some time later.  
  
"Said she had an idea, that she'd be back soon."  
  
"Oh." Was Cordy's monosyllabic reply.   
  
"So here we are again." Charles noted.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Sitting in the waiting room, hoping Wes doesn't die. Actually I'm not sure if I am hoping that this time."  
  
"Don't you start too Charles Gunn!" Cordelia exclaimed, sitting up, eyes flashing.  
  
"Tell me you're not at least twice as mad as I am at him for taking Connor, Cordelia." Gunn challenged.  
  
Cordy remained silent, head lolling forward, chin coming to rest on her chest.  
  
"I don't want him to die." She whispered after a few minutes had gone by.  
  
"Neither do I." Gunn admitted reluctantly, his fingers twining around hers, squeezing her hand reassuringly. 


End file.
